The Last Amakage: The Land of the Rising Sun
by IronManSaidPinata
Summary: For as long as he's been alive, Hiccup always knew he was weak. Everyone on Berk made sure he knew it and that he didn't forget it, not for a minute. Now, half a year after he is banished from Berk for befriending the Night Fury, Toothless, he is given an opportunity to finally throw off the shadows of his old life. (T for reasons) (Multiple OCs) (so many)
1. Chapter 1 - Beginnings

**Chapter 1: Beginnings**

 _Drip, drip, drip…_

Hiccup woke slowly, opening his eyes lazily to clear away the night's sleep. Sighing, he rolled onto his back and made to look at the sky above him.

He frowned when he saw the dark cut stone ceiling above him instead. He shut his eyes again when he remembered.

He'd been dreaming of the past. Flying in open air on Toothless' back, running through forests, swimming and fishing in rivers and streams. The last year had been the best he could remember.

He had run away from Berk a little more than six months ago. A couple months before that, he had downed a Night Fury and discovered that humans could live in peace with dragons. The pair of them had run away after he had been banished, but it hadn't been as bad as it sounded.

Hiccup had very much enjoyed being free from his old life. The life of the abused, useless, runt of Berk.

But in the last few months or so, things had gone downhill. It started when they had finally stumbled upon a mainland and the people that lived there. It seemed that they didn't take too kindly to dragons, and would attack Toothless.

They had accidentally flown further inland rather than toward the ocean, which resulted in them getting deeper and deeper into trouble.

Finally, about a month and a half ago, they got caught.

It had given Hiccup enough time to have a decent command of the common language that was spoken here, but the people that captured him didn't seem to speak it. He couldn't even weasel his way out of this situation, try as he might.

He was grateful that they hadn't gotten Toothless. Yet. He had managed to get his best friend to hide away somewhere nearby. But based off of the noises he heard outside his cell at night, he knew that his dragon was fighting tooth and nail to break him out on a near nightly basis.

Much as he appreciated the effort, after a little more than a month of imprisonment, he was beginning to believe it might be better if Toothless gave up. The fortifications were too strong for even a Night Fury with the cover of darkness to penetrate without dying at some point.

And that was the last thing he wanted. Toothless was the reason he had run away in the first place. If he died, then all their adventures would have been in vain.

Sighing, he sat up, his spine aching from sleeping on the stone floor repeatedly. Stretching, he heard the joints pop back into place.

Getting to his feet, he crossed the damp cell to the wooden door that barred him from the outside world. Stepping onto his toes, he leant against the surface and peered out the small window near the top.

He could see the other prisoners milling around outside in the yard, guards patrolling left and right, on the ground and atop the battlements surrounding the prison.

He frowned at that. He knew for a fact that Toothless had not attacked last night. Not for the last several nights, actually. Though he had heard the familiar shrieks and scream of the wind against his wings, which affirmed for him that his friend was not dead.

Nothing else would merit the heavy patrol regiment that the guards were enacting. Something important most likely. He lowered himself to the floor again after a moment and drew his knees up to his chest, resting his wrists on them.

Would they be letting him out today? If all the other prisoners were out, then he doubted it.

Suddenly, shouting outside drew his attention from his thoughts. Getting back up, he pulled himself up to the window's level and looked out again.

The yard was alive with guards herding prisoners over to walls as the prison gates began to open. The more they parted, the more he could begin to see a large dark object between them. It was too square to be Toothless, something he was immensely relieved by. It was pulled by a horse, something surprising in this area, from what he had learned. A cart or carriage, then. He wondered what would have been such a fuss

Once the doors were fully parted, he watched as the carriage was pulled into the yard and then stopped. He waited for a moment until the door in the side swung open, revealing nothing but shadows for a moment. Then, a figure appeared and stepped out of the carriage.

It was a woman. She was tall, and almost imperious looking. Her dark hair was pulled back into a high ponytail from what he could see. The dark streak continued with her clothing, which was comprised of blacks, greys, and dark blues. Her hands were folded deep into her wide sleeves and she seemed to carry herself with an air of serenity.

One of the guards ran over to her and bowed. Hiccup squinted again as she seemed to speak to him for a moment before he looked up and yelled to his comrades. Another guard ran up and addressed the first.

Then, much to Hiccup's surprise, the second guard pointed at his cell, saying something indiscernible. Both turned to the woman, who said something short to them and gave a single nod. Bowing again, the second guard scampered off while the first gestured for her to follow him. Seeing that they were indeed headed for his cell, Hiccup dropped to his feet and moved back to the far wall.

This day was becoming very interesting very fast. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Most likely it would be the latter.

Moments after he had sat down, he heard the key in the lock on the door and the hinges squealed as it opened. The guard made to enter, but a hand barred his way. His face paled as the tall woman herded him back and said something to him in the native language. He nodded, almost beseechingly and did as she told, shutting the door behind her.

That left Hiccup alone with her.

He swallowed hard and watched her carefully from his place on the floor.

"You do not need to fear me," she said, in perfect English. Hiccup's eyes widened. He had spent the last five months or so learning it, as it was the common language, but no one in this prison spoke it besides himself. It was one reason why he hadn't been able to weasel his way out of getting imprisoned, like he had in the past in other countries.

"Y-You speak English?" he asked, just to be sure. It was then that she turned on him and gave him a look suggesting that, yes, yes she did. He swallowed again. Then her face seemed to soften a bit.

"It seems that you speak it as well," she replied, watching him carefully from the corner of her half-lidded eyes. "Not many people speak the common language here in Kyrgyzstan."

"Is that what this place is called?" Hiccup asked, quirking a brow upwards. The lady smiled and chuckled a bit.

"No. This place is Kapa Darbaza Türmö. A prison. The country is Kyrgyzstan," she answered. Hiccup nodded but remained silent. Why was she here? What business did she have with him?

As if reading his mind she turned to face him fully, her hands still deep inside the sleeves of her robes. "This is not the only reason you are unique," she began, piquing his curiosity. "You are a dragon rider, as well, are you not? The locals seem to think you are."

Hiccup wasn't sure how to respond to that. Should he say yes? If he did, what would she do? She didn't look like someone who could kill a dragon. Then again, looks could be deceiving. He knew that well enough.

"If I were to say yes, would you believe me?" he inquired, testing her. She merely gave a small smile, just a miniscule upturning of her lips.

"I would. You are clever, and a good liar it would seem, but not good enough to fool me," She stated, her tone slightly amused. Hiccup narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I have many names," she answered, "but in the West, I am she who is called Zaira."

"Zaira…" he repeated carefully, testing the name. It didn't sound western, but he put the thought out of his mind figuring she could tell a lie just as well as she could detect one. He decided to change the subject. "Why are you here?"

"Ah, the only question that truly matters," she replied. "You are not the only dragon rider, young man. There are, in fact, many of us."

Hiccup's eyebrows shot up. There were other dragon riders?! A thousand other questions swarmed through his head, but none of them were coherent enough to come out. The lady - Zaira - shifted her weight and looked toward the door, taking a few steps in its direction and glancing out the small barred window.

"Tomorrow you will be released," she commented. "Judging by the fact that there are no dragons skulls hanging around this place, I would say they have yet to find your companion. He must be very clever."

Hiccup's voice came back to him at last. "He is," was all he could manage as his brain received one shock after another. He was going to be freed?

"When you are turned loose, find your dragon, and then, if you wish to learn more about those like you, find your way to the Eastern sea and cross to the land of the white mountain," she explained.

Withdrawing one hand from her sleeve, she opened her fist to reveal something small and brown in her palm. She tossed the object to the ground and it landed with a small thump. "That is what you might call an...invitation. Keep it safe and return it to me if you are strong enough to make the journey. I will be awaiting your arrival."

Then, with a small inclination of her head, she turned and stepped to the door, opening it and shutting it behind her, leaving Hiccup alone again.

After a momentary pause, he scrambled forward, searching for the object she had left behind. Running his hands over the hard packed dirt, his left connected with something smooth and cool for a second and he grabbed at it. Lifting it to his face so he could see it clearly, he saw it was a metal pendant. Bronze, to be exact. It was a shape unlike any he had ever seen, but it seemed tribal. The edges were sharp, though not enough to cause any serious harm.

He scooted back and cupped the pendant in his hands. For a long time, he simply sat on the floor in silence, reeling from the shock of it all and staring at the object in his hands. Pulling his knees up, he rested his wrists on them, a position that had become habit over the last few months, and fisted the pendant in his right hand. If what the lady - Zaira - had told him was true, he would need rest. It didn't sound like a short trip, though he figured he could make it fairly quickly with Toothless at his side. He looked forward to seeing his best friend.

Wondering what the coming day would bring, he laid down on his side and, using his thin arm as a pillow, he drifted off into a fitful sleep.

~oOo~

As it turned out, Zaira had told the truth.

He was woken suddenly the next morning, being shaken awake and summoned to the land of the living by someone shouting in the unknown language and dousing him with freezing cold water. Coughing and sputtering, he had come to rather quickly.

Much to his surprise, he wasn't sent on his way with just the clothes on his back, which were now nothing more than torn muddy brown-green rags.

Instead, the guards in charge of the prison had him cleaned, which consisted of him being dunked in a barrel of more cold water and having his hair, which had grown several inches, washed. Still cold, but feeling much cleaner than before, someone provided him with new clothes. They were loose and baggy on his diminutive frame, but they were comfortable and kept him warmer than his original wardrobe.

It hadn't been hard for him to keep the pendant safe. He'd torn off a strip of fabric from his old clothes and made a fabric chain of sorts to hang it on during his bath. The sight of it had given the guard paused when he had been forced to strip to wash up.

Strangely, it seemed as though the prison guards feared him now. As though they expected some sort of retribution for detaining him. When he had first arrived, they had seemed to hate him with a passion, as though he were the root of all their troubles. It had been that way ever since, until now. It made him wonder what exactly Zaira had done, or what she could do that made them fear so.

If his suspicions were correct, then he could assume she was another dragon rider. The people of this country, or at least this particular area, were fearful of dragons. Perhaps Zaira had attacked them at some point. It didn't seem likely; it sounded like she lived nowhere near here. He wasn't sure what exactly it could be besides that.

Still, despite the fact that they had imprisoned him for the better part of two months, he felt a little bad that they were going to such lengths as they were.

Currently, he was seated in the back of a wagon, being carted out of the neighboring village. He had a pack slung over his shoulder and back, filled with provisions for his journey. It seemed the guards knew more than they let on.

They stopped at the outskirts, where the road led out to open country. Hopping off the back of the wagon, Hiccup walked around to the front of the cart, where the driver sat. The man looked down at him, and then gestured at the road in front of them, saying something in the language. Still not understanding, Hiccup nodded his thanks to the driver, who wheeled the horse guiding the cart around and headed back into the village. He watched them leave until they were a ways off before continuing down the path.

About half a mile down, he turned back once to make sure that there was no one around. Seeing no one, he put his fingers to his mouth and gave one long, clear whistle. He listened for a moment, the silence of the countryside growing loud in his ears.

Then, a rasping roar could be heard echoing in the distance. He turned in the direction it had come from to see a shadow rise above a nearby stand of trees and dive toward him. He grinned, realizing it was Toothless, but his face fell when he saw the dragon tilt sideways and drop to the ground. His feet reacted before he registered what happened, carrying him as fast as they could across the valley to his friend's crash site.

When he reached him, Toothless was groaning and rolling back onto his feet, shaking his head from the discombobulation. However, as soon as the Night Fury caught sight of his rider, he was on his feet again, eyes wide with puppy-like happiness, and bounding toward him. One minute, Hiccup was running as fast as he could, the next he was on his back, his companion's weight nearly crushing him as he found himself being slobbered on.

He couldn't help the laugh that forced itself out of his constricted lungs. He grabbed his best friend's face, hugging him and doing everything he could to show just how elated he was to see him again. Toothless purred excitedly, refusing to stop licking him.

"I'm okay bud, I'm okay," Hiccup reassured the dragon. "I'm okay." It was hard for him not to feel as happy as he did when his dearest friend had been so worried and was as glad to see him as he was. He stopped laughing, however, when Toothless swung his tail around and he caught a glimpse of the tailfin.

The half made of leathery skin and scales was still intact, but the brown leather prosthetic was in tatters, and the mechanisms attached to the saddle were ruined, likely beyond repair. Hiccup grimaced. "I'm okay, but it doesn't look like you are." The dragon growled and brought his tail around, giving Hiccup an apologetic look. Hiccup gave him a small smile. "It's alright, bud. We'll fix it as soon as we can. Right now, though we'd better get moving. I doubt the people around here are going to let me use materials to fix the flight gear," he said.

Toothless sat back on his haunches and looked at him as if to ask what they needed to get moving for. Hiccup gave him a shrug. "We can't stay on the run forever bud. I think I may know a place where we can settle down," he explained. "C'mon, let's go. I have no idea how far it is, but I was told to follow this road."

Toothless growled in consent before leaping forward and loping a few steps in the direction of the path. When he realized Hiccup was not following him, he stopped and turned, jerking his head at the road and snorting, as if to say " _Well, let's go!_ " Hiccup grinned and took off after his friend.

They were on the road again, to where exactly, Hiccup wasn't sure. But he was glad that he was at least with his friend.

~oOo~

 _Three Months Later…_

" _Watashitachiha tōchaku shimashita. Azuma shamen wa chōdo sono foresuto o koete imasu_ ," a voice said from above Hiccup's head as he rubbed his eyes. It couldn't be too late in the morning as sunlight wasn't spearing his eyeballs out, and the sky was a pale blue-grey. Tiredly he sat up and put a hand to his head, turning to look at the man at the bow of the fishing skiff. He nodded his thanks before trying to climb out of the small boat without falling or spilling any of the fish that filled the bottom of the vessel with him.

" _Arigatōgozaimashita, Oji-san_ ," he said, turning to face the man and bowing once he was on dry ground. The older Japanese man smiled kindly and inclined his head at Hiccup.

" _Sayōnara, gaijin-san_ ," he said before pushing the boat off the shore and using the keel to turn the boat back out to the open sea. Hiccup couldn't help but smile as he watched the old fisherman depart. The man had been very kind to him. He had considered it a stroke of good fortune that he had met such a kind person on his first day in the country.

Traveling on foot the last few months had been difficult. Because of their superstitions about dragons and those who befriended them, people were often fearful of him and Toothless, and not very quick to offer their help. Even in the Empire of China, the largest region he had had to pass through, where they revered dragons.

It hadn't been easy. Multiple times, he had almost been apprehended by the authorities, something that had largely impeded him from making faster progress on his journey, and he had had to guard jealously the pendant which either hung around his neck or rested in his satchel.

He was glad that he had been able to at least book passage on a ship sailing from China's coast to the islands of Japan. Toothless had followed from a distance in the water, using his wings to swim and keep up with the ship. Once they had reached the island, Toothless had made himself scarce, but always kept around.

It had been that afternoon that he had met the fisherman. It seemed the man spoke some vague English, which helped. He taught Hiccup some Japanese in return for some help with work. Having grown up in a village where fish was a main source of livelihood, Hiccup knew the trade well.

He learned the language quickly, and once he knew the words, he asked the man if he knew anything about a "white mountain," recalling Zaira's words from his last day in prison. Instantly, the man had looked surprised. Then, a look had come over his face as though all the pieces of a puzzle had finally fallen into place.

It was then that he revealed that he had always been suspicious of where Hiccup disappeared to at night after supper. Having been found out, Hiccup told him the truth that he had befriended a dragon and that they were friends.

After that, he saw the old man as his friend, and he came to call him " _Oji-san_ ," or Uncle.

He had asked a second time, a few days after, and the fisherman told him that White Rock Mountain, was about a two day journey from the island they were on, and home to a mysterious traveler who lived at the very peak of the mountain. Hiccup had then asked if it would be possible to plan a fishing trip around his departing.

So there he was, on the shore of the island of the "White Rock Mountain." He sighed as the man disappeared into the early morning mist. Aside from Toothless, he had never really had friends. But his _Oji-san_ would always have a place in his heart.

The water nearby sloshed and rippled as Toothless climbed out and shook the water from his body. He snorted and looked to his rider. Hiccup smiled at him and jerked his head in the direction of the forest.

 _Just at the edge of the forest, huh?_ Hiccup thought as he started off, one hand on the strap of the linen satchel that had served to carry his only belongings and provisions since leaving Kyrgyzstan.

~oOo~

The day passed slowly for Hiccup. The slopes started somewhat before the fisherman had told him, the non-existent path in the forest leaning upward and making it more difficult for him to keep a steady pace.

Toothless seemed to be having no trouble. He was tremendously pleased to be out of the small town, and the tiny shed that Hiccup had been forced to hole him up in. The dragon bounded around, tongue hanging out of his mouth as he looked around with fervor, something obviously making him excited. He sniffed around, his ears and sonar flaps perked to their fullest extent. Hiccup had to admit he looked hilarious.

They had reached the open mountain a little before noonday and paused to take a brief rest. Then, they had begun the ascent.

It wasn't difficult at first, but the slope gradually got steeper and steeper until it got to the point where Hiccup was having to carefully climb up the mountain, moving from ledge to ledge. His hair whipped around his head in the high winds, and he had to be extra careful so as not to make a fatal mistake.

At sundown, he stopped, not planning on reaching the peak in the dark. Toothless curled around him and the pair went to sleep, albeit shivering from the cold air.

The next morning, they had risen as soon as the sun had illuminated their path enough to see.

"I really wish you could fly right about now, bud," Hiccup said, addressing his only companion. Toothless barked in a way that suggested he agreed wholeheartedly.

Grabbing on to the cliff face, Hiccup found a foothold and tentatively pushed himself up. Making sure he had good purchase, he looked up again and reached for the next handhold.

The next several meters were arduous and difficult, but he eventually glanced up to see that another ledge lay before him. Hauling himself up, he pushed himself over the edge and onto his back, needing to pause to catch his breath. He hadn't been this high up in a while, seeing as it had been nearly five months since his last flight on Toothless.

It wasn't until he felt Toothless nudge him gently in his side that he reopened his eyes and looked up. He breathed a sigh of relief once he saw that the slopes were no longer the steep rocky terrain he had been traversing for the last day. Instead, he saw what looked to be a house, at the very peak of the mountain. Pulling himself to his feet, he dragged his body forward, though it was hard to breathe and his legs felt as though he had lead anchors strapped to them.

By the time he had reached the top, the muscles in his calves were burning and he was shivering from the cold so much he was nearly aching. Sweat slowly dribbled down his back and chest beneath his shirt.

Pausing briefly to catch his breath and push his hair out of his eyes again, he took in the sight before him. A building which looked like a cross between the temples and dojos he had seen in the Japanese village stood near the edge of the cliff, or rather, on the edge of the cliff. He couldn't help that his jaw dropped at the sight. It was truly magnificent, and huge.

The building was square, and aside from the architecture, it looked rather plain. The walls were an ivory color, suggesting that the stone had been hewn from the mountain it rested on. It was at least four stories in height, with large rectangular windows just below the roof on the top floor. A single set of doors stood at the top of a series of wide steps that led from where Hiccup stood to the building.

Looking to his left, he saw an area which seemed to be purposely sectioned out, the corners marked by four tall dark poles. It was a ring of sorts, probably for fighting.

Taking a deep breath, he gripped the strap of his pack tighter and pushed himself up the steps, Toothless' claws clicking on the stone as he followed behind him.

Reaching the top, he stopped at the door. A large iron handle hung down in front of him and he grabbed it, pulling on it. After a long moment, he determined that the door was not pull-able, if that was even a thing.

From what he had learned from the old fisherman, he knew that it was impolite to just barge in on someone's home. Instead, he used the handle as a knocker, banging it against the metal frame of the door.

Glancing back at Toothless, he jerked his head at the door. "Think you could lend me a hand here, bud?" he asked, pushing against the door. His companion growled and butted his head against the door, helping to open it. _At least we announce ourselves first_ , Hiccup thought.

Once inside, Hiccup held the door as Toothless darted in and then let it fall back into place.

Looking around, he could see hardly nothing. His eyes hadn't yet adapted to the darkness after being out in the sun all day. Once they did though, he couldn't help the gasp that escaped him.

Before him stood the woman who had started this whole journey stood before him, a stoic look on her features. They seemed to soften a bit as she tilted her head forward in acknowledgment.

"You made it," she stated and Hiccup smiled.

"It was a lead. I intended to follow it," he replied.

"Then you want to learn more?" she inquired. He nodded.

"But this isn't just about riding dragons, is it?" he asked, looking around. Weapons were everywhere. Swords, daggers, axes, spears, staffs, anything he could have imagined was there. Either on the walls, or on a rack. She inclined her head in affirmation.

"No, it is not. I am a member of the Amakage order. We fight with dragons and against dragons. It is a bit difficult to explain, especially to a weary young traveller, but I digress. Have you brought you invitation?" she inquired. He nodded, reaching to his neck and untying the frayed strip of cloth. Pulling it over his head, he took the pendant off and held it out to her.

She accepted it and turned it over in her hands. Returning her gaze to him, she smiled. "You have proved yourself worthy of joining the Amakage order." She turned away and stepped over to a table near the door. Her back to him, she seemed to mess with something for a minute before she moved back in front of him. "You have proved yourself worthy of this invitation."

Holding her hands up she put something over his head and it came to rest at his neck, the weight familiar to him. Looking down, he saw it was the same bronze pendant, but this time it was attached to a soft leather chain which was tied astronomically better.

Zaira laid a hand on his shoulder.  
"I admit I was beginning to believe you weren't coming," she said. Hiccup grinned tiredly, his dark red hair falling blocking his gaze.

"Well, it was a three month journey cross-country on foot," he said. She looked a bit disturbed at that notion, but she had seen Toothless when they walked in. It wasn't as if his dragon wasn't large enough to ride, but they had never had the chance to fix the tail fin.

"In that case, it is likely best that you rest today. I will show you to your room and bring the both of you a hot meal later once you've had a chance to sleep. We will begin tomorrow," she said gently, walking off down the hall, expecting him to follow.

With one last glance back at Toothless and a shrug, he followed after her.

 **A/N: Well, here we are again at the start of a new story. Those of you who read The Shadow Rider, I apologize again. I am sorry I never got to finish it and that its been a long time since I've posted anything here, but it wasn't going the way I wanted it. So I scrapped it and started over and here we are. I hope you guys like this just as much, though I did warn you it will be darker than TSR, and it will be. But not yet. We're still in exposition and Hiccup hasn't been twisted and bent out of shape yet. Yet.**

 **And on that note, I bid you all a very nice evening.**

 **IMSP, Out (finger-guns and disappears in cloud of smoke)**


	2. Chapter 2 - Day One

**A/N: Hey guys, I am back with the next chapter today! We had a five day weekend in Florida because of hurricane Hermine (don't ask me how to pronounce that) and I was able to get quite a bit of writing done in that time. I'm happy that most people who were following** ** _The Shadow Rider_** **were able to find this and follow it. I am also very thankful to you guys for understanding the change and rewrite.**

 **Also, I noticed that people were asking a lot of questions regarding whether or not this would follow the same plot as TSR and just some other questions in general. The answers to those questions are at the bottom after the chapter, and I hope I answer them all understandably so you all can get the gist of where I am going with this.**

 **Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I did writing it!**

 **Chapter Two: Day One**

For the first time in a long time, Hiccup was able to wake slowly.

He wasn't groggy, but he felt refreshed after sleeping for what seemed to be fourteen hours straight.

He and Toothless had reached their destination at around four in the afternoon the previous day, and Zaira had told him to rest after his arduous climb to the top of her mountain. He had thought he would hardly be able to sleep, but in truth as soon as his head touched the pillow, he was asleep. He couldn't even remember eating anything.

Propping himself up on his elbows, he looked to the side and saw a small bowl sitting on the end table next to the bed. It was soup, and likely cold. Part of him wondered if Zaira expected him to eat it or not. The Vikings had always been very against wastefulness, though they had cast him aside at first glance.

Anger flooding his veins at the thought of them, he clenched his fists before swinging his feet around and sitting up. Putting the thought to rest, he glanced around the room in search of Toothless, who was nowhere to be found. Leaning forward, he chanced a look under the bed frame and saw nothing besides his shoes.

Pulling the boots out, he put them on and then searched for his shirt, throwing it over his head once he had. It was still loose and comfortable, but still the only one he had. It had gotten dirty and ripped and smelly since he had acquired it. Part of him wondered if Zaira would let him keep it.

Sliding open the door to the small bedroom, he peered out into the hall. It was empty so he stepped out and over the balcony edge that overlooked the lower floors. Zaira had given him a room on the third floor, but there were actually three lower stories. The one below him, the ground floor, and a training pit dug into the earth below that.

He didn't hear anything aside from his own breathing, so he padded over to the stairs and made his way down.

After a brief cursory glance around the second floor, he could see Zaira was nowhere to be found, so he continued down the ground floor. Scanning the relatively open space, he spotted Zaira sitting beside a table adjacent to a large opening in the far wall. Hesitantly, he crossed the space until he stood a couple yards from her. She was drinking tea of some kind. And there was another cup across from her. Without looking up, she addressed him.

"You are awake," she stated. Briefly Hiccup wondered if she would always begin conversations by stating the obvious. "I trust you slept peacefully."

Hiccup nodded. "Yes, I did. Thank you."

"Please, sit," she said, nodding at the spot across the short table.

Giving a slight bow, Hiccup moved forward and lowered himself to the floor, crossing his legs beneath him. Once settled, he gazed out the open window. It was then he realized it was much like the old fisherman's home, with a veranda extending outside. However, he doubted that it functioned as a simple porch.

"Drink your tea. It will help wake you," Zaira said suddenly, jarring him from his thoughts. He quickly turned to see her across the table, likewise staring at the view. Reaching down he picked up the small china teacup, feeling the warmth in his hands. Small wisps of steam crawled up to his face and he inhaled the sweet yet bitter scent.

He raised it to his lips and blew on the liquid before taking a sip of it. When he did he nearly gagged, but managed to catch himself and choke it down. It was more bitter than any of the teas that _Oji-san_ had made. Still, he didn't set thee cup down. He was thirsty. And if remedying that problem left a bad aftertaste in his mouth, then so be it. He had learned to live with worse over the last year.

"It is bitter, but you will become accustomed to it in time," Zaira said and he turned to look at her again. This time, she was facing him, her face stoic and showing no emotion. She set her cup down on the tabletop and folded her hands in her lap, not looking away from his eyes the entire time.

"You have proven yourself worthy of the Amakage order. You are strong. Strong of heart and mind, and we will make you strong of body. But, are you willing to commit yourself to the order?" she asked, her voice and features refusing to betray any feeling whatsoever. For a moment, he hesitated, thinking about the repercussions of his decision.

"I have nowhere else to go. Where I come from I am an outcast. Wherever I go, I am an outsider and a threat because of Toothless. If it means I will belong, I will commit to the Amakage order," he replied, feeling strong in his choice. She inclined her head once in acknowledgement.

"Very well. Your true induction will have to wait, but for now, you will begin your training today," she stated. "However, there remains one important issue."

Hiccup quirked an eyebrow at her. "And what would that be?" he prompted.

"Your name. What is it?" she inquired.

He opened his mouth to answer her out of reflex, but then he hesitated.

Hiccup. That was his name. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third.

Throughout his life he had alternated between disdain for the title and indifference toward it. He had been forced to accept it for the last fifteen years as a constant reminder that he was a weakling, a runt. He had never expected to have more of a life than that.

And now he did. It was his chance to fully cut all ties to his birthplace and blood family.

But what was a good name? He'd heard many names in the West, surely he could think of one. Wracking his mind for one on short notice, he told Zaira the first thing that came to his mind.

"Einar. My name's Einar," he answered, meeting her gaze.

She quirked a brow at him, an amused gleam in her eyes. "Are you certain?" she asked. He nodded.

"I am," he replied firmly.

"Very well, then," she said, getting to her feet. "We shall begin."

~oOo~

Half an hour later, "Einar" found himself on the mats of the wide first floor in new clothes with the aftertaste of the black tea fading from his mouth.

Zaira stood across from him, her hands once again folded demurely up her sleeves. She watched him like a hawk as they stood in silence. Finally, after leaving him to fidgeting, she spoke.

"Your morning routine shall begin daily with individual training exercises. They will help hone your body and prepare you for learning the different forms," she said, suddenly removing her hands from her sleeves and holding them up defensively, and yet not clenched into fists. "Show me your stance."

Doing as she said, Einar split his legs apart and mirrored her. Or tried to. She shook her head and straightened, walking to him.

"Your feet are too far apart. If an opponent were to come at you, they would see an opening instantly. Keep your stance wide, but just enough to anchor you. Your ankles should be able to hold you up no matter how battered they get," she said, using her own feet to nudge his closer together.

Stepping back, she took another look at him and nodded in approval. He tried to burn the stance into his memory.

Looking back at Zaira, she had resumed her own stance, but this time she was closer.

"Now watch me, and do as I do," she ordered and Einar nodded.

Slowly, she moved her arms into a new position and Hiccup mirrored her to the best of his ability. She glanced at him, her eyes flickering down to check his stance before she began to move again.

Over the next few minutes, he paid careful attention as she went over the set of movements with him a few times. After they had gone through the motions about seven times, Zaira stopped and stepped away. Einar stopped too, but quickly realized that was the wrong thing to do.

She whirled around and faced him again. He stiffened under her gaze. She eyed him for a long minute.

"Don't stop. Continue," she said, putting her hands back into her sleeves. Warily, Einar put himself back into his stance and started to move the way that she had shown him. After a few moments of silence, he spoke up.

"So what am I doing exactly?" he asked, hoping she hadn't walked away. Glancing over, he saw that she hadn't and had taken a seat at the opposite end of the mat, her legs folded beneath her.

"They are called katas. Individual martial arts exercises that can be performed individually or in pairs," she said. He raised a brow.

"Why not just teach me the actual fighting?" he inquired.

"You're not strong enough. You need to become stronger if you want to be at all effective," she stated bluntly. He frowned but kept moving.

"And this is supposed to make me stronger?" he asked, sarcasm edging his tone.

"It'll help," she put in.

Silence drifted between them until Einar had finished seven more sets.

"Alright, stop now." she said and he dropped his arms to his sides instantly. He quirked his brow at her and waited as she got to her feet in one fluid motion. He didn't think he had ever seen a person move so smoothly in his life.

Of course, growing up with bulky, clumsy Vikings, he had never been exposed to anything else. None of them were really agile. They preferred to barge through things rather than dance around them, yet another thing that they and he had disagreed on.

Shaking the thoughts off, he returned to the present as Zaira glided past him toward the door. He followed after her, not wanting to risk her wrath a second time today, having already come close enough once.

Stepping out into the daylight, he put a hand up to shield his eyes. Once they had adjusted, however, they widened in surprise.

"Toothless! There you are!" He shouted as he spotted his best friend, who was running around excitedly. The Night Fury stopped, his huge pink tongue lolling out the side of his mouth, and looked up, ear flaps perked. When he caught sight of Einar, he charged forward, a jovial roar leaving him.

Once again, one second Hiccup found himself on his feet, and the next his back was slammed to the ground and all the wind was knocked out of him. He felt something wet on his face and wrinkled his face in disgust when he realized Toothless was licking him again.

"Blaugh! Tooth! Quit it! You know that doesn't wash out!" He exclaimed, trying to roll away. Once he had gotten to his feet again and had wiped his face off on his shirtsleeves, Toothless butted him with his snout, demanding his attention again. He didn't see Zaira standing with another dragon and watching him until he remembered that they had come out here for a reason and looked up to see where she had gone.

His eyes widened upon seeing the other dragon. It was larger than Toothless, but smaller too. It's wings were immense in proportion to its body, making it look almost like what they called a Timberjack dragon, but this one had two strong-looking back legs and long claws on the tips of its wings like a Monstrous Nightmare.

It had a small regal head, with two small blue eyes on either side. It looked around much like a Nadder would, or a bird. He also noted that two fangs caught between medium and large protruded from the dragon's upper lip. He imagined that this dragon, despite its relatively small size, could deliver very powerful attacks. He watched Zaira with it. Clearly she had a bond with this dragon like he did with Toothless, only her's was much stronger and more defined. Finally she addressed Einar.

"Einar, this is Nyx, my dragon and bond, just as Toothless is yours," she said, lifting a hand to pet the dragon's snout. After a moment, she dropped her hand and turned to face him. "However, this is not what I brought you outside for. Come."

Lifting a brow at her again, he glanced at Toothless for a moment before following his new teacher. She walked around the side of the dwelling to a spot that was in the shade and came to a halt.

Einar looked around her to see a large basin, filled to the brim with water, sitting beside a stool of some kind.

"Have a seat," she said, gesturing at the stool. Nodding, he did as he was told.

"This is another exercise. I will leave you to understand just what it will exercise you in, but you will begin. Slap the water with your right hand 500 times, then do the same with your left. After you have completed that, do it again until the shadow reaches the basin. Then return inside. I will be waiting for you," she said before turning and walking away.

Einar looked at his reflection in the still, dark water of the basin. It wasn't as though she hadn't given him instruction, so he lifted his right hand back and brought it down onto the water. He did so again, and again, and again, and again.

At around thirty four slaps, he realized this was going to take a long time.

~oOo~

Einar had no idea that he could possibly be so happy to watch a shadow inch closer and closer to the water basin. When it finally reached the basin, he had stood up so quickly and harshly that he had almost knocked the stool over.

He had found a steady tempo to keep while slapping the water, but it was still a mind-numbing task. After some time, he just imagined he was smacking people he hated. Specifically, his cousin. It made it more interesting.

He all but ran back to the front, where he saw Toothless waiting on the stone steps. He was sprawled across the one in front of the door, but his eyes flew open at the sight of his rider and his ears perked up. Einar grinned at his friend and paused briefly to pet him before he passed him and made for the door.

Leaning all his weight against it, he managed to push it open enough to squeeze through. Toothless followed behind him, opening the door with ease. Looking back at him, Einar grimaced at the thought that his dragon's snout was stronger than he was.

Turning back around, he spotted Zaira sitting outside on the veranda. He paused for a moment before he moved forward, somewhat gun shy of her reaction. Was it really time to come in? Had she told him to keep slapping the water until the shadow hit the wall or the basin? It had been hours so he wasn't entirely sure anymore.

Still, he kept approaching her. When he reached her, he stood back a short distance out of respect. For a long time, she was silent and he wondered if she knew he was there. He considered sneaking away to his room or alerting her to his presence, but he didn't get a chance to do one or the other.

"You have returned," she stated. "Did you do as I told you?"

He rubbed his upper arms, which had begun to ache a long time ago. "Yes, I did. My arms feel like they're going to fall off, but I did," he replied.

He heard her chuckled lightly before she got to her feet and faced him. There was a small smile on her face. "This is a good start. Not many apprentices do as they are told on the first day. Keep this up and you'll make a fine apprentice," she began. Narrowing her eyes and tilting her head, she approached him and seemed to scrutinize his features. He eyed her warily as she did so, not quite appreciating the difference of heights between them.

"Hmm. It is time to move on to the first lesson," she said, stepping around him and nodding to herself. Einar could feel the muscles in his arms aching just from her saying that. It was already late in the afternoon and she wanted him to do _more_?

"And lesson one is?" he inquired, turning and following her back into the hall.

"Hygiene."

~oOo~

He had never thought of himself as a dirty or even unclean person, but as Einar sat on a stool wearing nothing but a blanket-turned-towel and his undershorts, he felt substantially cleaner. He shivered from the cold air around him and pulled the towel tighter around him.

The water Zaira had given him to wash up in had been warm since she had boiled it before giving it to him. However, it had quickly gotten cold and he hadn't lingered in it too long.

He heard the snipping of scissors behind him and he knew Zaira had begun to cut his hair. A part of him had been hesitant on that matter. He hadn't cut his hair since he left Berk months prior. Eventually he had acquiesced when she made the point that it had become unkempt and shaggy, and his bangs had become long enough to hang like curtains in front of his eyes, obstructing his view.

"Are you sure this is going to work? My hair's always grown like this. What makes you think it'll change?" he asked.

"Your hair has never been completely shaved off, has it?" she answered behind him. He felt a jolt of trepidation pass through him. She was cutting it all off?!

'What?! What do you mean 'completely shaved off?!'" he repeated, starting to fidget.

"I mean what I said. It must all be shaved off," she said.

Einar squirmed and dug his fingers into the towel, wishing he could grip the seat of the stool, and did his best to fight the urge to jump off the seat and make a run for it. He liked having hair, and he felt like some of his dignity would be lost if it was shaved off.

"Calm down, Einar. Your hair will grow back again soon. It is nothing to cry over," Zaira said in what he would have called a soothing voice if he knew any better, which he wasn't sure if he did or not. He'd only been with her for a little more than twenty-four hours.

She finished with the scissors and started with a razor. He felt his face dropping into a grimace the entire time, especially as he felt the blade against his scalp.

After what felt like an interminable amount of time, she finished.

"There. You're done," she said, and he heard her step back.

He got to his feet and turned around, to be met with the sight of himself in a mirror. He grimaced again at the sight of his bald head. It wasn't helped by the sight of his still-small figure in the reflection.

Zaira chuckled and the mirror shook, distorting the image. "Don't worry, Einar. In time things will change for the better," she told him reassuringly. Sighing, he gave her a weak smile before turning to look out at the view from the veranda.

The sun was going down beyond the other mountainous islands that surrounded White Rock Mountain. His stomach rumbled, breaking the silence. He realized that he hadn't eaten since that morning, having not bothered to come in for lunch.

He heard Zaira clear her throat behind him and he turned to see her. "Go change, and then you can help me prepare food for dinner," she said. He nodded quickly and then darted past her, up the stairs to the third floor, to his room.

When he returned, dressed in some dark robes he had found in a chest of drawers in his room, he found Zaira with a spread of various foods. It looked like the makings of sushi or rice balls, or possibly both. He was happy to have either.

"Come Einar, sit. Tonight I will show you how to prepare sushi," Zaira said, a small smile on her face again.

For the first time that day, Einar felt truly like things had a chance at looking up.

 **A/N: So there's that. Sort of a filler chapter, but it kind of hopefully explains a few things and gives our dear little sarcastic viking a kickstart into this brave new world that will soon become very normal for him. I hope this wasn't too confusing or messed up. Already this story is getting out of hand though. A way I know this is that Hiccup was supposed to change his name at the end of the last chapter, not the beginning of this one. I'm going to stick to this though because I have the story almost entirely mapped out (unlike** ** _The Shadow Rider),_** **not to mention we haven't hit the political intrigue or the confusing sect backstories or character relationships.**

 **Yep. This feels like it's gonna be long, but I dunno. Either way guys, strap in for the long trip, keep all arms, legs, and personal items inside the vehicle at all times, and feel free to take pictures of the scenery.**

 **Anyway, moving on. Reviews. Yes.**

 _ **NightsAnger:**_ **I AM SO SORRY SIR! I don't think words can express how hard I want to sincerely apologize and how bad I feel for stopping** ** _Shadow Rider_** **, but like I said in the apology it was not coming out the way I wanted no matter what I did, and I would have had to go back and rewrite 85+ pages of work, so I figured I would just scrap it and start over to make it the way I wanted it. Again I apologize profusely, I will put up a discontinued notice on TSR as soon as I get a chance.**

 _ **Guest**_ **: I don't think this will totally tie in with TSR's plot, but some elements will remain the same. Draconia is a place, but not all people ride or "own" dragons. A few of the characters will remain the same, as you will see in a few chapters or so. I think the "squadron" idea has been scrapped as well, but I've replaced it with another idea that I kind of like better. (no spoilers, sorry) I'll get to the princess in another review, but he's not her royal guard. And yes, this is the story that leads up to the kick-butt hyper-skilled warrior that Hiccup is in TSR with a few slight tweaks.**

 _ **stoney3141:**_ **I'm not sure now, but I thought I mentioned that Hiccup was learning English before getting captured and had a decent command of it...I gotta go look not 'cause I meant to do that O_o**

 ** _DreamMelody_** **: Yes, Zaira will be his mentor and basically take Gobber's role, though frankly, no one can truly replace him in my mind.**

 **Guest (Maerk): Ahh yes, the Princess. I left this review to last because I figured it would be a subject on the touchy-er side for a lot of people (myself included). Unfortunately, I decided not to have the princess as a character in this story. NOw before you all kill me, I am not using the princess, but I am using another character who is something of a friend/love interest for Hiccup. To make all of you who like Hiccup/OC fanfics happy campers, the first half will be him and the new girl. For those who like Hiccstrid, that will come later and all will be revealed in time.**

 **And lastly**

 **The-real-dragon-rider: Yes, yes he will remain a kickbutt angry cracker.**

 **Well, that's about it. I'm out guys, see you all next update!**

 **IMSP, OUt! (fingerguns and confetti)**


	3. Chapter 3 -- Training

**A/N: And here I am again back with the third installment of** ** _The Last Amakage_** **. Sorry I didn't finish this sooner, but stuff happened and I wasn't able to write as much as I wanted. It's a shorter chapter, though it managed to be about eight and a half pages long by the time I was finished with it, so I guess I'm pleased with length at least. Not so sure about content.**

 ***Sweats and hopes work isn't absolute crap***

 **Well, I'm afraid I am going to have to keep this short as I have to go back to working on homework. I'll add a little blurb at the bottom too, cause there's something I just want to mention down there. ANyway, I hope you guys all enjoy this! Read on Macduffs!**

 **Chapter 3: Training**

 _Eight months later…_

As it turned out, things were looking up for Einar.

After the first week or so, Zaira had begun to harden into a tough instructor and his day to day training had become more vigorous and difficult. However, this turned out to be a good thing as he had become stronger and faster, more agile, just as she had predicted. She had begun to teach him how to fight with small weapons, such as daggers.

Much to his delight, his hair had grown back in, though he was forced to keep it cropped close to his head, and his normally pasty pale skin had tanned somewhat from long days spent out in the sun training.

He had become skilled at the many katas she drilled into his memory, and could now perform each movement precisely and on command. Regarding the time he spent daily simply sitting outside and slapping the water in the rain basin, nothing had really changed. It was still the most mind - and hand - numbing task she had assigned him, but the amount of time he spent on it had lessened considerably.

In the beginning, he had been out there for upwards of six hours at a clip. Now it was down to roughly two and a half, and still dropping.

Alongside that, Zaira had been forcing a strict exercise routine. He did push-ups and sit ups in the mornings, followed by a run around the island perimeter. Then when he returned, he was to perform innumerable forms of what Zaira called "calisthenics." Though they were painful, he had to admit that there were results.

He had been surprised to note that, in recent weeks when he looked in a mirror, he found himself looking stronger. He often caught himself stopping and staring for a few moments in the decorative mirror in one of the upper halls on his way to or from his bedroom.

This was one such moment.

 _Sixteen..._ he thought as he stared at his reflection, eyeing his features. Inhaling deeply, he looked away and started moving down the hall. Zaira would wonder why he was late coming to breakfast if he lingered any longer.

 _Sixteen._

It had been over a year since his departure from Berk, so he had turned 15 sometime after he had run away. However, he turned 14 back on Berk, before his life took the multiple drastic turns it had and he had ended up where he was.

He recalled that it was back when he was still aiming to fight dragons, to take one down and kill it, just to please his father and his people somehow. He remembered that he had been struggling to get his bola launcher to work correctly, as it had a hare trigger and often did more harm than good.

Nobody paid him any mind really, except for Gobber, who didn't have much of a choice in the matter, but looked after him anyway. In fact, the smithy was the only person he could recall having happy memories of. Everyone else had simply been indifferent or hateful, and had faded into background noise.

He remembered that he had been somewhat sad to leave, as Berk was the only home he had ever known, but after a few weeks of freedom, he never wanted to go back. Let them watch after themselves. They could die in a dragon raid for all he cared. He knew it was dark and awfully harsh, but he didn't care. He had a life beyond them, and had long since surpassed anything they could ever hope to accomplish. A more vindictive part of him wished that they could see him now.

 _They probably wouldn't even recognize me_ , he thought with a smirk as he jogged down the last few steps and strode toward his mentor who was sitting in her usual place beside the tea table and staring out at the view beyond the veranda balcony. Einar followed her gaze and noticed for the first time that it was pouring rain. He hadn't been paying attention when he woke up because his thoughts were on his age at the time.

He thought it best not to tell his mentor that. She would force him to exercise his environmental awareness.

At least he wouldn't be working outside today. Or he hoped he wouldn't. A part of him wouldn't have been surprised if that was exactly what she had him do.

"Einar, sit," she said, addressing him at last.

Doing as he was told, he came to sit at the opposite end of the table, folding his legs beneath him. He looked out at the view and sighed before reaching over to pick up the small tea cup and taking a sip from it.

After six months of drinking the bitter liquid, he didn't even flinch, not even when it was particularly hot.

Another thing that no longer bothered him, was the food. After the first night, the food had gotten increasingly difficult to prepare. It wasn't as though it had gotten technically complex, but Zaira had been teaching him how to survive in "the wild" with no actual food that a person would consider edible.

Still, with what she had been teaching him, he had learned what plants and leaves and roots were good and which ones would make him sick or kill him. Thankfully not from experience. There were a few ones easy to remember, like poison ivy and poison oak, but others were a bit trickier and Einar had found himself very close to touching or eating the wrong thing and receiving a nasty rash. It was times like those that he considered himself to be insanely fortunate to have Zaira with him. He honestly didn't know what he would do if she hadn't been around for him.

 _I'd probably be dead by now_ , he thought as he sipped at his tea again. Just as he made to swallow, something bumped him in the back and he jumped to his feet, choking on the liquid and sputtering out what hadn't made it down. Spinning around, he caught sight of Toothless chortling behind where he had been sitting a moment prior. He frowned at his friend, but the moment was ruined by him coughing and trying to clear his throat enough to breath.

Once he had caught his breath again, he glared at the dragon again before imitating his friend's cackle. "Very funny, bud," he said annoyedly. Toothless purred and moved forward, nudging him with his nose and doing his best to look apologetic, though Einar wasn't buying it.

The Night Fury refused to leave him alone, winding around his legs and trying to keep his attention, grass-green eyes the size of dinner plates and the pupils enlarged exponentially. Einar groaned and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Fine, Toothless. I forgive you for almost being the cause of my death. Again," he said sarcastically. His friend barked in excitement at being forgiven and licked him up the side of his face. Hiccup had long since given up trying to stop the affection displays as Zaira considered them disparaging and, frankly, there was no stopping Toothless.

Instead, as his dragon bounded off to find Nyx, who was likely in the rafters of the fourth floor where they both nested, he simply wiped his face off on the sleeve of his shirt. Taking a seat again, Hiccup picked up his cup from where he had dropped it on the floor and set it back on the table. Thankfully, he had emptied it of its contents before it fell and there was no tea to clean up.

He glanced over at Zaira again and waited for her to speak. It was generally the same every morning. He would come down, and have tea while staring out at the view that never seemed to get old, and then she would tell him what she was going to have him do that day. After that, they would have breakfast and he would start his katas.

However, this morning, he could feel something was different. Zaira was oddly quiet, taking her time with her tea, but more than usual. Einar narrowed his eyes marginally at her before deciding to let her be and gazing back out at the rainy day beyond.

It must have been a few more minutes at least before she finally spoke up.

"It seems we will be unable to continue with your current training today," she stated. After six months, Hiccup had come to realize that she did start every conversation by stating the obvious, almost to an annoying extent. He looked over at her again. So something was up.

"Alright. Then what are we doing today?" he inquired. He had gotten fairly good at reading between the lines of her "statements" and he could assume that they would in fact still be doing something. Just because they couldn't go outside due to inclement weather, it didn't mean that they couldn't do something else. And he wasn't banking on Zaira giving him a break.

Setting her now empty cup back on the table, she got to her feet and looked toward the center of the house. She gave a sigh, as though resigning herself to the day's tasks.

"I believe it is time to begin teaching you how to fight," she told him, looking back at him, blue eyes sparkling.

~oOo~

Half an hour later, Einar stood on the mats of the first floor's training area. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and his hands were wrapped in bandages to protect his knuckles. The same went for his ankles and feet as Zaira felt they would need protection as well. Drawing in a deep breath, he stood at his full height and slid his feet apart, entering the stance he had drilled into his memory.

His mentor stood across from him, in considerably lighter robes than she usually wore. Not lighter in color, she was still wearing black, but the robes were lighter-weight. The usual bell sleeves she wore were gone, traded for wide shorter sleeves that only came down to her elbows. Her hair was still pulled back into a high ponytail to keep out of her face.

"Let us begin. I will teach you to defend yourself before I teach you how to engage enemies. Now, come at me," she said, gesturing for him to do so. He hesitated.

"But...I don't have any training. What do I do?" he asked carefully.

"You don't need any yet. Just rush me," she said patiently.

He debated a moment more, unsure of what to do. If he were still a child, he would have been hopping from foot to foot in distress, but now he simply fidgeted for a moment before resigning himself to his task.

Drawing a fist back, he dashed across the mat toward his mentor. Just as he swung forward, he felt pressure on his wrist and stomach and then the world spun. The next thing he knew, all the breath had been knocked out of him and he was lying with his back flat on the ground.

He gasped for air and coughed a couple times as pain registered in his back and head. He stared up at the ceiling, dazed. Zaira stepped into his vision, smiling down at him gently. He focused his vision on her and opened his mouth to say something, but nothing was coming out.

"How…?" he rasped. She knelt down and extended a hand, which he accepted, and pulled him up to his feet. He reeled a little bit as a wave of dizziness hit him, but he managed to get his bearings and stave off the dark splotches that fogged his eyes. He heard her chuckling quietly.

"I used your body weight and momentum against you, and I flipped you over me. It wasn't difficult; you're still very light," she said, a smile still on her features. Einar frowned at the mention of the fact that he was still skinnier than a rice noodle.

 _What a way to boost my self confidence,_ _ **mentor**_ , he thought in annoyance.

"That's all the more reason, however, for you to learn to fight. You need to be able to defend yourself. You're clever, fast, and you're getting stronger every day. I'll teach you how to use those as an advantage. Even your smaller size can be advantageous in a battle," she added. While he still wasn't fond of comments about his stature, he knew Zaira meant it well. She would teach him exactly what she said she would.

Dusting off the fronts of his trousers, he moved back into his stance. "Then let's get to work," he said, determination in his voice.

~oOo~

 _Four Months Later…_

Einar brought his foot up and out, striking at his mentor easily in a powerful roundhouse kick. He felt the familiar sensation of being blocked and grabbed and pulled forward. Despite his best efforts, he came unbalanced and lost his footing, beginning to swing into the air. Desperately attempting to finally win a match, he struck out with his now free leg. His calf met something solid and he snapped his leg shut, hooking it around and using his momentum to swing up and around.

Having learned not to hesitate, he took his chance and leaned all his body weight into pulling his opponent down. Unfortunately, he realized too late that this was an error on his part and he felt a palm strike his torso and push hard.

Bracing himself, he felt himself toppling off of his mentor. Twisting in the air like a cat, he spread his arms and legs out, totally relinquishing his hold.

His partially calloused hands found purchase on two of the plum poles behind him. He dug his heels into the sides of another pole. His back bent easily to accommodate with the uneven terrain and he pushed back to provide himself with enough momentum to leap back onto his feet.

He wobbled for a moment before he balanced out and faced his mentor, a smirk on his face. She smiled approvingly.

"You made it further this time," she said, giving him a small nod of acknowledgement as she lightly stepped from pole to pole.

"Well, I have learned _something_ ," he replied, mirroring her actions, but gesturing widely with his arms. Zaira smiled and chuckled.

"Your training is done for today. Wash up quickly and return. Dinner will be shortly," she said. What he had come know she _meant_ was that they would be _making_ dinner shortly. Bowing respectfully, he stepped carefully across the plum poles of different heights and onto the mats of the first floor.

The fight had lasted a little over ten minutes, though it had felt shorter to him. It had started as a simple sparring match on the mats between himself and his master, until she had thrown a decidedly underhanded blow and he had barely dodged it in time. After that it had devolved into a slightly more competitive affair, with Zaira purposefully driving him backwards onto the uneven plum poles to test his agility and balance. Fortunately, he had indeed improved in the months since his vigorous training began and he managed to return Zaira's assault nearly blow for blow.

Walking to the stairs, he ascended to the third floor and padded down the hall toward his room. He didn't waste as much time looking in the mirror anymore; he knew what he would see there.

Over the course of the last few months, Zaira had been teaching him more than just how to fight and defend himself. They had been subtler lessons, building his confidence in himself and his strength. She had taught him that appearance was relative, and that he didn't have to put a lot of stock in what others thought of him. It had taken time, but he learned how to be comfortable in his skin, though it may change.

That wasn't to say he hadn't gotten stronger. The hours spent smacking the water in the barrel had evidently paid off. He had surprised himself when Zaira told him to show her what he had learned, but instead using a wooden board propped on top of two blocks rather than water, and snapped the board in half.

He paused in the hall just outside his room. Looking at the wall, he was pleased to see the spaced out tick marks etched into the wood. The top one represented his latest measured height from a couple weeks back. The lowest represented his height when he had arrived.

At sixteen, he had finally hit his growth spurt. A surge of pride shot through him, but disappeared as fast as it had come as he moved on, entering his room.

Sliding the door shut behind him, he divested himself of his shirt and threw it into the growing laundry pile in the closet. He pulled another down from a shelf of neatly folded robes and slid his arms into the sleeves before wrapping it around him and tying it at his waist.

Leaving his small, sparsely furnished quarters, he decided to head up to the fourth floor to check on Toothless.

Reaching the top, he spotted the Night Fury napping off in the corner. He put more force into his steps, making no effort to be quiet, so that his friend would wake up without him having to get too close. That might result in some burns. While Toothless loved him, he knew that there would be repercussions if he woke the dragon.

One luminous grass-green slid open, and the Night Fury eyed him for a moment before he realized just who had approached him. Crouching down, Einar waited as the dragon got to its feet and bounded toward him, barking happily.

Their bond had become stronger in recent times as they had gotten more chances to spend time together. He had told Zaira that Toothless couldn't fly as half of his tail fin was missing, and he hadn't had time to fix the prosthetic. Zaira had given him a bit more time after dinner to work on making a new one. Many of the materials he needed to craft one could be found around the house, but occasionally he had needed to ask her for a ride to one of the towns on the surrounding islands for supplies.

He had been able to build a makeshift forge so he could remake the gear. He had recently finished, though he wanted to work on it more and improve it. However, Zaira had told him that he would have an opportunity to do more with it in the future. She had left him to wonder when that would be, though he didn't doubt it would be soon.

"How've you been bud? She's been keeping me busy these last couple days," he said. The dragon growled in reply, in a way that sounded oddly sympathetic. Maybe Nyx was teaching Toothless a thing or two. Einar smiled and scratched his dragon's head.

Toothless wagged his tail and brought it around happily. He was still ecstatic to have both halves of his tailfin back. They had gone flying recently with Zaira and Nyx, and his teacher had told him that she was pleased with how their bond advanced in just a few hours of flying.

Einar had been surprised how simple it was for him to get back into the saddle and fly again. He thought that he would hardly remember how to work the stirrups. But no, much to both their delight, it had been like a second nature to him. Zaira told him that he could contribute at least part of this to muscle memory, but the rest had to do with his bond with Toothless.

It was true that their friendship had come to run deeper than before. He had always known that the dragon seemed to have an odd sort of sentience about himself. An almost humane way of acting, as though he were a man trapped inside the body of a reptile.

As Zaira explained it to him, dragons were not like dogs or cats, or horses or birds. They were an entity all their own, possessing an intellect higher than that of most animals, but still somehow less than humans. And from what he had seen, Toothless was smart even among dragons.

They had bonded easily because of their shared intelligence and similar personalities. After that, their friendship had grown until they were hardly inseparable. Einar recalled his time shortly after meeting his best friend, and not wanting to leave the cove where the dragon had been trapped. Often he had pushed it to the very latest hour he could stay out without being suspicious. No one had caught on, and he had managed to make his getaway before anyone noticed.

On their travels, it had been essentially life and death, and they had both been there for each other through it all. Here, though, it was a different story. They had played, and wrestled eventually once Einar was stronger.

Smiling at the thought, he rubbed Toothless's disk shaped head as the dragon bumped him affectionately. The Night Fury purred happily that his friend had come to visit. Einar's smile dropped, however, when he remembered that Zaira was waiting for him downstairs.

"I gotta go bud. She hates to be kept waiting," he told Toothless who looked at him, his eyes showing how upset he was. The dragon growled and pulled at his shirt. "I know, I know," he replied, "I haven't had much time to be with you, huh?" He thought for a moment, wondering how he could make his dragon and mentor both happy.

"How about I sleep up here with you and Nyx tonight? I won't tell Zaira, though I doubt she'd discourage it," he said. Toothless barked excitedly and jumped around in circles before nudging his rider in the direction of the stairs. Einar laughed.

"You got it, bud. See you later," he laughed as he left the floor and headed down. The smile was still on his face when he reached the main floor and saw the table laid out with food ingredients of all sorts. None of which looked currently edible-something he would have to fix.

"I see you went to visit Toothless," a voice said from behind him and he turned around to see Zaira standing in her usual robes. She must have changed too. Einar nodded.

"I haven't gotten to spend much time with him recently," he answered, giving his shoulders a small shrug. Zaira nodded and then stepped past him toward her side of the table.

"Your dagger and staff training is coming along well. You excel in both areas. Perhaps after a short break we can begin your sword training," she stated. Einar couldn't help the bubble of excitement that bubbled up inside of him at the thought.

Early on, Zaira had explained that, as an Amakage warrior, he would have to learn how to use a variety of weapons. Hence the sheer amount of them hanging on the walls and lining them on racks. His mentor had been teaching him two of the easiest forms of close combat. He already knew how to use a dagger, or a small knife, somewhat. She had then taught him how to use a bare wooden staff, though he had seen some of the ones that bordered on spears, with sharp sword-like tips protruding from the ends.

She had told him that she would allow him to use actual blades once he mastered the original staff, and that it wouldn't be difficult to adapt. That was the idea, he supposed. Learn how to use the basic weapon like a second nature, and then using one of the ones that's actually dangerous isn't too hard. Once he mastered using the daggers, he hoped he would get to move onto the shurikens at some point.

Shaking off his ruminations, he stepped over to the table and lowered himself to the floor, crossing his legs beneath him. He glanced up at Zaira who was watching him expectantly. Dropping his gaze down to the various plants and roots and substances presented in bowls and dishes. He bit the inside of his lip, wondering what he could do this time. Reaching out, he pushed one of the bowls aside immediately.

"Well for starters, I'm not using that. How did you even get poison ivy in here without getting a rash?"

 **A/N: Hi again! Well, I hope that turned out okay. It was kind of a filler chapter and a teensy bit of exposition with just a** ** _hint_** **of foreshadowing. *excuse the pun, if that was even a pun* Whatever. Anyway. Point. Make it.**

 **So someone either PM'd me or reviewed and asked me if this is going to be at all like the** ** _Viking Samurai_** **. To which I have to say, no it will not be. However, when I got the message, I promptly shouted "iS THAT WHERE I GOT ThE WORD FROM?!" And yes, yes it was. That was where I heard the word, or name, Amakage. Apparently, it means "Sky Shadow" or something to that effect, and since I don't speak much Japanese, I was forced to use Google Translate. Needless to say, I didn't particularly want a story titled** ** _The Last Kagemusha_** **. It didn't flow right. So I sat there thinking for a long time of what else I could call it, but then I remembered "Amakage" but I didn't know from where. It wasn't until I got that message that I remembered reading** ** _The Viking Samurai_** **several months back.**

 **Well, I should go since my homework's too dumb to do itself...See you all next time!**

 **IMSP, out! (*wimpy finger guns because I'm tired and my brain is fried*)**


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